aquarium plants disintegrating!

So i just planted my 36 gal bow front and all my crypts disintegrated!
this is what the tank looked like.
the crypts were very full and made a nice hedge. now it looks like this after just 2 days of beign planted!

these crypts were heavily rooted when i bought them and had been submerged for 2 weeks.
i sprayed them with hydrogen peroxide, and rinsed the leaves. i'm wondering if the hydrogen peroxide dis this or if it was the water temp, (i tried to get it to room temp by touch)
i also trimmed the roots a little, what do you think?

A couple of likely reasons. First, most species of Cryptocoryne do not like any changes in their environment, and they will melt as happened here, becoming a pile of mush. The plants are likely still alive, so just vacuum out the mush, do not touch the roots in any way, and new leaves may sprout. This can take days to weeks, so be patient.

By environmental change, we mean temperature, light intensity, light spectrum, sometimes light duration if it changes significantly, GH, pH, and being re-planted. Some species are worse for this while others seem to not even do it.

Second issue is the hydrogen peroxide. Many will say this is harmless, but that is not the advice of botanists I have read. And given the delicate nature of crypts, quite a risk. One plant author who used to write monthly articles in TFH said that any solution of whatever that is strong enough to actually kill algae or snails will almost inevitably cause some harm to the plants.

With patience you may have beautiful crypts before long.

the light is a lot brighter, so that’s probably it, thanks!

CryptFan said:

the light is a lot brighter, so that’s probably it, thanks!

Click to expand...

You also moved them, that is usually more detrimental, but it could be either or both. I had a forest of two species of crypt in my 115g tank for several years. Water changes were done every Sunday, changing 60% of the tank. Crypts were thriving, sending out runners all over the place. One week on the Tuesday I noticed all fo them had melted. Turned out that the water authority has begun adding soda ash to raise the pH.

Its common. I once had a 16" plastic oil pan tub with solid C. wendtii...If I made a water change too large they would melt.
NOW!..the hydrogen peroxide is potent. Illegal in Europe as a matter of fact. I would say you might have a longer wait..maybe some died.
I've used HP on hair and blue green algae..and it turns out the old saw about "If conditions do not change it will return" is true.
Your photo is not bad. I've seen worse melt.
Never use HP btw,In tanks with moss or ferns. They will die or die back so hard its months and months before they even get going again.